Each race completed by John McVelia covered a distance of around 100km, or 63 miles.

The 52 year-old from Tiptree, who nearly gave up halfway through the first race, has now raised more than £3,000 for the veterans’ charity.

He told the Daily Gazette: “In October there was an ultra-marathon on TV and I thought I would like to give that a go.

“I had a search around and found a couple I liked. I noticed one company did a series of them and for charities.

“I thought if I did one, I have got to do the training anyway! It was only after the first one I realised what a mammoth thing this would be.”

John added: “It was all off-road, very, very hilly. I was one of those stupid people who believed the Isle of Wight was an island and therefore the course was going to be flat – it wasn’t.

“I got to the halfway point and I turned round to the organisers and said I didn’t want to do this.

“One of them sat me down and said to try the second half and see how I felt.”

John did and 22 hours after he started he reached the end.

Upon completion dad-of-four John could barely walk to his car and later slept for 14 hours.

“You try to put the world to rights in your head and a lot of it is talking to other runners and walkers,” John said.

“Sometimes you do doze off. I had one occasion when I felt my eyes closing when I was running and then it was ‘oh sugar!”

On his decision to fundraise for Help for Heroes, John said: “I have got family that are in the services.

“I wanted to go into the services when I was younger but didn’t quite make it and so have always had a connection.”

You can still sponsor John at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-mcvelia.